Application of charged insulator defects for the realisation of low-dimensional structures in silicon

Low-dimensional structures such as quantum wires and dots are a key feature of upcoming nanoscale semiconductor devices. As yet, such structures can only be realised using expensive and sophisticated lithographic methods. In contrast, we aim at fabricating quantum structures in silicon using a very simple and cost-effective approach. The structures are based on charged insulator defects within a silicon oxide/silicon nitride insulator stack on a p-type silicon wafer. By means of an atomic-resolution microscope the insulator defects can controllably be charged or discharged, offering the potential to realise inversion-layer quantum dots and wires in silicon